2018 Louis Moreau Petit Chablis Burgundy 750 ml

“Pinpoint-focused white Burgundy, 93 points, 20 bucks—delivered!” Master Sommelier Sur Lucero belted out to the panel (although we think the guys in the food trucks across the street heard). “How are you gonna beat that?!”

The rare outburst was inspired by a hearty sip of Louis Moreau’s 2018 Petit Chablis, and given that the crystalline Chardonnay blew past our strict standards and wowed us from the very first second—as it did the folks at Decanter that gave it a 93 and a spot in their list of Top Petit Chablis—no one was about to argue. Especially at the unbeatable price of $20 per bottle, delivered to your door.

Glimmering pale-straw color with green and silver reflections, it’s got sliced yellow apple, Meyer lemon peel, crushed river rock, and jasmine leaping from the glass, along with sea-sprayed lime blossom and lemon curd that meld into every sip. With chalky white earth, polished steel, and snowmelt fading into the finish, it’s drinking perfectly from the first sip to the very last drop.

Sur and the rest of us will be taking this stunner home by the case, to get us through the summer. The personality and the price make Moreau's 2018 a perfect go-to white wine to drink with abandon until it’s all gone—a moment that always comes too soon. 

As one member who got in on the last vintage of Moreau Chablis noted, “Have had Chablis of cru status that are multiples of this price which are inferior. Bought case and don’t regret.” 

A big part of the Moreau value owes to the family’s history. They’ve been in Chablis for over 200 years, which means they can afford to take a long view: When fluctuations and unpredictable events occur—like the low-yielding 2015 and 2016 harvests that caused many producers to raise prices—Moreau can stand firm, which makes their stellar whites stand out for their value nearly as much as for their quality and complexity.  

Over their centuries in Chablis, the Moreau family has accumulated 124 acres of vines, from a Grand Cru monopole to Petit Chablis, where the vineyards are defined less by 180-million-year-old Kimmeridgian soil, but a younger layer of limestone-rich Portlandien soil. The finest of these sites sit on the plateau above the Serein Valley, which is where Louis Moreau’s 8.8 acres are located. 

The 2018 Petit Chablis is a domaine bottling, which means the grapes are harvested and the wine is bottled properly on the estate, and it showcases the energy of very healthy grapes that are farmed under the philosophy known as la lutte raisonée (“the reasoned struggle”). The 25-28-year-old vines get significantly less exposure to herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides, and this wine puts those healthy and vibrant Chardonnay grapes on full display.

It all results in a 93-point, family-made Petit Chablis for a price that rivals those of the behemoth négociant houses’ large-production wines. Compelling character, perfect ripeness, and the cut and salty mineral edge that we expect from top-flight Chablis—that’s what Moreau brings, and it’s why our Wine Team doesn’t just agree on the wine, but have taken home cases of our own. We invite you to follow suit.